It remains a rare material artifact of a fair centerpiece since lost to time, and a clue to the importance of her high-profile commission for American culture and Black artistry.
Standing at 16 feet in height and one of only two works by African American artists featured in the exhibition, Savage’s plaster sculpture took its name from James Weldon and J. Rosamond Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a hymn of particular meaning within Black communities. Savage modeled the piece after themes found in the song—unity, perseverance through faith, and pride, all of which are reflected in her musical scene. The harp’s form is defined by a long arm and hand cradling 12 singers in choir robes, their strong stance and the folds of their garments evocative of strings. A young man kneels in the lead holding sheet music and carrying a pensive expression on his face, uplifted (we imagine) by the beautiful melody and the image the eponymous hymn’s words recall.
“The Harp,” as it became known, was a major achievement for Savage. Born Augusta Christine Fells in Green Cove, Florida, February 29, 1892, she was raised by a Methodist minister who opposed her creative interests. Over her father’s objections, Savage returned again and again to sculpture throughout her youth and—after marrying, having a child, and becoming widowed by her early 20s—committed her focus to the arts and moved to New York City with less than $5 in her pocket. Savage quickly became a recognized talent in the art world and a vocal advocate for equal rights, generating media attention when an American selection committee revoked her award of a summer study-abroad scholarship to Paris because of her race. Defying these obstacles, Savage self-funded and completed a 4-year arts degree at The Cooper Union in 3 years, fundraised for her own trips to France to exhibit at prestigious sites like the Salon d’Automne and Grand Palais, and earned an array of accolades ranging from a Carnegie Foundation travel grant to the distinction of being the only African American member admitted into the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. By 1937, the 1939 New York World’s Fair Board of Design reached out to her with the idea of a large-scale sculpture symbolizing the legacy of African American music.
Though 44 million guests had the chance to witness and admire Savage’s triumph at the 19-month exhibition, unfortunately the work was destroyed when the fair ended, a scenario not uncommon for temporary works and pavilions. Promotional postcards and documentary photos like the one in McKay’s book, however, paint a picture of the song and sculpture’s true impact and continued resonance. Today, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is still widely celebrated as the “Black national anthem” (recently and memorably performed at “Beychella”) and metal replicas of Savage’s 1939 tribute—a testament to the inspirational power of the Black church and indomitable nature of the human spirit—are held in collections such as those of the Schomburg Center in Harlem and Columbus Museum in Georgia.
– Carlos Ascurra, FIU Humanities Edge curatorial intern
Archive for Hermon A. MacNeil bio
MacNeil Park — NYC-skyline
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NYC Skyline viewed from Hermon MacNeil Park
. The MacNeil home and studio in College Point, Queens, possessed a panoramic view of the New York City skyline. Airplanes departing from LaGuardia Airport were often part of this overlook.
That vista can still be enjoyed in a stroll along the East River shore that borders the Hermon A. MacNeil Park.
Hermon Atkins MacNeil, American Sculptor (1866-1947)
Carol Brooks MacNeil
When Hermon and Carol MacNeil purchased the property in 1901, they found that feature to be a pleasant bonus of their new location.
Hermon built his stone masonry studio himself using stones and boulders from the East River. He was no stranger to stone work or carpentry as his father was a carpenter teaching him all the construction skills that entailed.
The back doors of Hermon’s studio let The Pilgrim Fathers through.
The studio large north Doors of the MacNeil Studio opened onto this scenic view as well.
As described previously: (see:
MacNeil Park, formerly known as Chisholm Park, was renamed in honor of Hermon Atkins MacNeil in 1966, the 100th anniversary of his birth. MacNeil was a long time resident of College Point where he worked at his home and adjacent studio. Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe describes the spot, named for one of America’s greatest sculptors, as “a spectacular waterfront landscape … with sweeping views of the Long Island Sound from its waterfront promenades, majestic trees, ballfields, and a 9/11 Memorial, this park is worth a detour.”
Jo Davidson – A young artist describes the MacNeil Studio in College Point.
Related Images:
MacNeil 1887
Posted by: | CommentsYoung Hermon MacNeil
teaches at Cornell
A very young looking Hermon A MacNeil in 1887 when hired to teach engineers free hand drawing by Robert H. Thurston, Dean of Engineering at Cornell.
Professor Robert Henry Thurston (1839-1903). Founding Director of the Sibley College School of Engineering of the Cornell University.
“In the 1880s, Thurston was a man of vision who became a central pioneer in the developing field of Mechanical Engineering. He would soon become the first president of the newly organized American Society of Mechanical Engineers (A.S.M.E.). The faculty of Cornell brought him there to start the Sibley College of Engineering.”
“Thurston hired and mentored Hermon Atkins MacNeil from 1886-1889 — age 20 to 23 to teach industrial art, drawing, to the engineering students. A duplicate of this bronze bust and memorial plaque was erected at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) office in NYC. Thurston was the first President of ASME.” [SOURCE: https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/2013/09/01/professor-robert-henry-thurston-encourager-of-macneils-genius-part-1/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The young Art Instructor went on teach engineering students to sketch, mold in clay, do orthographic projections.
Key Orthographic Drawing Examples:
Mechanical Parts: Detailed views showing the front, top, and right-side projections of an object to define its exact shape and dimensions.
Simple Block Objects: A 3D model created from 3–6 blocks, sketched from different viewpoints (top, side, front) to understand spatial orientation.
Technical Designs: Shipping containers or a grand piano shown in top, front, and side views for manufacturing.
Dean Thurston wanted his engineering students to:
- visualize,
- think, and
- communicate through drawings.
He wanted a educated artist capable of teaching such skills through.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
His solution was to hire
Hermon Atkins MacNeil
in 1887
-
Sept., 01, 2013
-
Sept. 015, 2013
Related Images:
2026 MacNeil Month
For over a Century the Arch and Washington statues remain a Rally Point for NYC and the Nation.
Hermon MacNeil sculpted General George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.
In 1916 this sculpture was placed on the East plinth of the newly completed Washington Arch.
1946 WWII Victory Parade of the 82nd US Army Airborne between the statues of Geo Washington by Hermon A. MacNeil and Alexander Stirling Caulder.
Two years later on the west Plinth, Alexander Stirling Caulder’s statue of President George Washington was added to the west leg of the Arch.
Forty-Six years later Troops of the 82nd Airborne staged a Victory Parade between the Two memorial statues of Washington, our 1st Commander and President.
Eventually, Fifth Avenue was closed off through the Park, a pond was added to South side, and Washington Park became the pedestrian venue it is today.
Now Eighty-years later, the Arch and both statues continue as a rally point for protests in NYC and the Nation.
OTHER Images from MacNeil work
MacNeil’s likeness of General Washington with Fame guarding from the rear flank.
I viewed and photographed MacNeil’s original plaster model of Washington as Commander of the Continental Army at the Swope Art Museum
in Terre Haute, Indiana,
Jim Haas and Charlie Chiclacos, drove a rental van to Swope Museum in Terre Haute last year to retrieve some of these pieces.
Hermon A. MacNeil’s plaster sculpture of “George Washington” as concept study for the Washington Arch in NYC (1916) [Photo taken at Swope Museum of Terra Haute, IN by Dan Leininger]
Abortion rights activists hold a sign reading “Regulate Guns Not Wombs” as they march from Washington Square Park to Bryant Park protesting the overturning of Roe Vs. Wade by the US Supreme Court, in New York, on June 24, 2022. (Photo by ALEX KENT/AFP via Getty Images) Retrieved April 13, 2023
George Washington Sculptures at Washington Square Arch, Washington Square Park
Designed by architect Stanford White, the Arch was dedicated in 1895. Washington as Commander-in-Chief, Accompanied by Fame and Valor was designed by Hermon Atkins MacNeil and was installed in 1916. Washington as President, Accompanied by Wisdom and Justice was designed by Alexander Stirling Calder and installed in 1918. A major restoration of the arch was completed in December 2004. Source: [http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/M090/news]
Related Images:
Hermon MacNeil’s “autobiographer,” Jim Haas, lectured and posed for sculpture Students
Posted by: | CommentsJames Haas has recently had a first-time experience of posing as a model. He did so at the
Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore,MD.
Jim has done many things, BUT THIS was a first.
He experienced sculpture from the other side.
He sent photos of his two picks from the sessions.
Jim says the second sculptor was a student named Ana. She is also a very talented painter. Born in Italy she came to America to study art. Were you to speak with her, you would hear not a trace of an Italian accent. A number of her paintings have been exhibited and her future looks bright.
The sculptor’s name is Dooree. She graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in June. [Webmaster notes: This captures Jim in his familiar grin.]
Jim reflected about the sessions:
Having written and published a biography of American sculptor Hermon Atkins MacNeil, I have had a few occasions to mention the models he used for a number of his works. That being said, I had no real understanding of what being an artist’s model entailed. And then my friend Bob Copskey, professor of sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art asked if I would serve as the model for a portrait bust to be modeled by his students. I said “yes.”
Jim continues: … “on the appointed day one as I drove to the school, I will admit to experiencing some small amount of anxiety. While I knew I would be asked to assume a pose that would have to be maintained for a number of hours, I wondered if I would be able to stay in one position for that length of time, and what would I think about?”
He sent a photo of the whole class at the Maryland Institute College of Art:
“Returning the following week, the morning was spent with the students refining their work, the routine pretty much the same.
In the afternoon I once again gave a presentation on MacNeil followed by a review of the fifteen portrait busts during which I observed that I had never given much thought to what the back of my head looked like. Some students laughed. I enjoyed seeing every effort, a few from more experienced students standing out. Had it been possible I would have purchased one or two. Alas, the clay was remanded to the bins, but cell phone photos were taken … Sic transit gloria mundi.
Closeup of Dooree’s final sculpture of Jim Haas. [Webmaster notes: This captures Jim in his familiar grin.]
Portrait bust in clay by Ana from Italy studying in Maryland Institute College of Art
For More: Read Jim’s Reflections:
“Confessions of a First-Time Artist’s Model:
Having written and published a biography of American sculptor Hermon Atkins MacNeil, I have had a few occasions to mention the models he used for a number of his works. That being said, I had no real understanding of what being an artist’s model entailed. And then my friend Bob Copskey, professor of sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art asked if I would serve as the model for a portrait bust to be modeled by his students. I said yes and on the appointed day one as I drove to the school, I will admit to experiencing some small amount of anxiety. While I knew I would be asked to assume a pose that would have to be maintained for a number of hours, I wondered if I would be able to stay in one position for that length of time, and what would I think about?
Having given presentations about MacNeil to his students in past years, I was familiar with the studio and as it happened, had once been present to observe a model at work. At the time I did not take note of the revolving platform on which she sat, but as the session began, Bob explained that the centrally placed stage would be rotated slightly every couple of minutes. This would enable the students standing at their platforms circling the platform to have a 360 degree of my neck and head. “Call for a break at any time, assume a pose that is comfortable,” Bob directed, “and to the extent possible, maintain it by focusing on a specific floor to ceiling point. “No problem” says I and so the session began.
I watched as each student leaned into the bins to scrape the clay that would be applied, layer upon layer and bit by bit to the armature that would in time be transformed into their collective versions of yours truly. Never having sat in one position for so long a time, it was easier than I thought it would be and no breaks were taken. So, what went through my mind in the course of the two hours that followed?
For some, but not all, modeling a portrait bust was a new experience. Some were tentative; others set their minds and hands to the task at hand and, as expected, all took a turn at Prof. Copskey’s request, to “please turn the model.” As the first hour passed and much clay having been applied to their armatures, a number of students began to approach the stand to examine my head from every vantage point possible. I studiously avoided their prying eyes at the same time being curious as to what exactly they were trying to see and wondering if they would be able to retain their findings when they got back to their work stands.
Over the course of two and half hours, I had made two 360-degree revolutions around the room charting the progress of the fifteen artists noting what each of three males and twelve females did as they worked. Some had ear buds leading me to wonder if they were listening to music. One of them, a young lady, was very definitely dancing to the beat she was hearing, so I knew she was. As for the others, well, who’s to say? Common to all was the look of intent and purpose each wore as I looked at them and they looked back.
As I made my two revolutions, I watched and listened to the counsel given to each by Prof. Copskey, always encouraging, never without a positive suggestion based on many years of classroom teaching, he himself an accomplished sculptor and medalist. I thought “How fortunate they are!”
A welcome lunch break followed during which Bob asked how I thought the day was progressing, was I comfortable and other related questions. My truthful answer was that “Yes, I was very comfortable, that holding the suggested pose was not difficult, and that I was enjoying the whole experience more than I thought I would.”
Returning to the studio it did not surprise me to see the young artists already working the clay refining their version of their model’s head. Once again, I mounted the platform and retook what I thought was this morning’s pose, but was surprised when Bob, employing his many years of teaching made suggestions, very gently, that I adjust the tilt of my head ever so slightly, alter the expression on my face and as much as possible, focus my eyes and the level of my gaze as I had in the morning session. The afternoon session went well.
Returning the following week, the morning was spent with the students refining their work, the routine pretty much the same. In the afternoon I once again gave a presentation on MacNeil followed by a review of the fifteen portrait busts during which I observed that I had never given much thought to what the back of my head looked like. Some students laughed. I enjoyed seeing every effort, a few from more experienced students standing out. Had it been possible I would have purchased one or two. Alas, the clay was remanded to the bins, but cell phone photos were taken. Sic transit gloria mundi.”
Stay tuned for more …..
Visit Bob Copsky’s website here:
And Bob’s Gallery section here:
Related Images:
IT IS FIXED ! ~~~ MacNeil’s “Pony Express” Statue is Beautifully Repaired!
Posted by: | Comments
I stopped in St. Joe, MO on May 18, 2025 and took this picture.
~~
I was surprised to see finished repairs as I stopped in St. Joe, MO on May 18, 2025. All four faces of the base appeared newly repaired and engraved after 85 years of deterioration. See old photo ==>>
The Pony Express statue was Hermon MacNeil’s last public monument when unveiled in 1940.
It marks the first station on the westward mail route route to Sacramento, California filling the gap where the railroad was still under construction.
The Pony Express Monument has welcomed residents to Downtown St. Joseph on Frederick Avenue since it was first constructed in 1938, but decades of exposure are causing the massive granite slab that holds the bronze statue to deteriorate, compromising the entire structure.”
I was surprised to see finished repairs on May 18, 2025. They first thought that the base needed to be replaced and repairs would take up to 2 years.
~~
Related posts:
- Pony Express Rides Again! (26.1) In the heart of downtown Saint Joseph, Missouri the “Pony…
- Pony Express Hood Ornament (19) On a rainy day recently I visited MacNeil’s Pony Express…
- Attention to Detail ~ “The Pony Express” ~ by H. A. MacNeil (17.9) On first viewing, the sculptures of Hermon MacNeil express amazing…
Related Images:
Albany, NY: This colorized post card of the 1912 “Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Albany, just blocks from the State Capitol shows the Rear view of that 22 foot Marble piece.
Eighty figures are sculpted in bas relief on the four sides of the tennessee marble. As previously posted, MacNeil named over a dozen women who served as Sculpture assistants in crafting the models for this monument in his College Point Studio. It is the the 2nd largest of his four Civil War Monuments.
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- 1 Whitenville, Massachusetts, 1905. below ⇓ and Right ⇒
- 1 Whitenville, Massachusetts, 1905. below ⇓ and Right ⇒
2. Albany, New York. 1912. See above & the 2 Previous Posts
- 3. Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Monument: 1927~ Philadelphia, PA Below is the Tallest ⇓
- 4. Charleston, South Carolina, 1932. Confederate Defender: See link Below
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FANS and FANatics of Hermon Atkins MacNeil
Posted by: | CommentsMacNeil Month ~~ Feb. 2025
As I have previously confessed on this website, I am both
a FAN and a FANatic
of the sculpture and life
of my Great Uncle
~ ~ Hermon Atkins MacNeil ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ O ~ ~ ~ ~
After 15 years as webmaster, and over 300 POSTINGS
I truly deserve to be called a
<< FANatic of Uncle Hermon
and his cousin, my grandfather
Tom Henry McNeil >>
~
HELPFUL HINTS FOR USING THIS SITE:
Use the search function to find topics mentioned in the
300+ posts on 13 Pages (25 posts per page)
click on (Next Page >>) at bottom of each page
to move on to next 25 postings.
HELPFUL LINKS in the RIGHT SIDE COLUMNS:
-
- POSTS SINCE 2010
- MOST RECENT:
- MacNEIL POSTINGS
- SCULPTURES OF H.A.M.
- WORLDS FAIRS OF MacNEIL
- MUSEUMS: WITH MacNEIL ART
- CATEGORIES – TOPICS ANS LOCATIONS
- SCULPTURE NEWS
- POSTS SINCE 2010
BELOW IS A POST ABOUT A RECENT SLQ Collector AND MacNEIL MEDALLION OWNER: ⇓
He has a “Love Affair” with MacNeil’s “Standing Liberty Quarter.”
Related Images:
MacNeil Month ~ February 2025 ~ Our 15th Year ~ FANs & FANatics
Posted by: | Comments2025
Since 2010 we have celebrated each February as
“MacNeil Month” 
Welcome to our 15th Year !
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
February 27th is the 159th
birthday anniversary of my great uncle
Hermon Atkins MacNeil
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
February 29th marks the
165th birthday anniversary of my grandfather
Thomas Henry McNeil
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Tom died in 1932 before I was born
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hermon MacNeil died in 1947
27 months after I was born.
My mother, Ollie (nee) McNeil gave me
“Neil” as my middle name.
SO …
I have become a “MacNeil Fanatic”
as this website has displayed
for 15 years!
Stay tuned this month
for more stories of MacNeil FANS
and FAN-atics !
Related Images:
“Pony Express” Keeps Riding Again ~ from St. Joseph station.
Posted by: | Comments.
St. Joseph, Missouri continues to embrace Hermon MacNeil’s “Pony Express as its symbol.
Once Again, St. Joseph, Missouri embraces “The Pony Express” by Hermon A. MacNeil. This time is makes the “cover page” of the city’s current Visitor Guide.
As I was traveling through Missouri recently, I saw this Visitor Guide for “St. Jo Mo.” The little webmaster in my mind said,
“Ah Ha! That needs to be on
SO, I picked up 2 Guide books.”
And now my dear readers, another image of MacNeil’s
Pony Express joins the 300+ postings on this website.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Monument in St. Jo marks the first station and
the first statue along the trail
Find the Monuments at:
1940 – St. Joseph, Missouri
Tenth & Fredericks Street
Sculptor: Hermon A. MacNeil ⇒ ⇒
1963 — Stateline, Nevada
Harrah’s Casino.
Sculptor: Dr. Arvard Fairbanks.
1976 – Sacramento, California
2nd & J Streets
Sculptor: Thomas Holland
1985 – Marysville, Kansas
Pony Express Plaza
Sculptor: Richard Bergen
1994 – Reno, Nevada
Grand Sierra Resort
Sculptor: Douglas Van Howard
This is the Place Heritage Park
Sculptor: Dr Avard Fairbanks
BLM Historic Trails Interpretive Center
Sculptor: Dr. Avard Fairbanks
Colorado Welcome Center
Sculptor: Brenda Daniher
2009 – Reno, Nevada
Legends Plaza
Sculptor: Mark Aeling
2011 – Sidney, Nebraska
Cabela/Bass Pro Shops
Sculptor: Peter Fillerup
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
PONY EXPRESS who
HELPED SPREAD IMPORTANT NEWS,
SHRINK A CONTINENT,
AND BIND A NATION
THAT WAS BEING TORN APART
BY CIVIL WAR.
2025 Re-Ride Dates : June 11 to 21, East-Bound
Sacramento, CA – to – St. Joseph, MO
.
~~~
Related Images:
1940 ~ The Pony Express Goes to the White House
Posted by: | CommentsWhile the real PONY EXPRESS ran Westward …
from St. Joseph, Missouri
to Sacramento, California,
Hermon MacNeil’s
Statue of the
“Pony Express”
ran East all the way to
the White House
AND INTO THE
Postcard Collection of
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ O ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We have posted MANY stories of “The Pony Express” by Hermon MacNeil.
But this is a fresh NEW wrinkle!
(Courtesy of Jim Haas)
⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓
NEW YORK TIMES, JUNE 9, 1940
Related Images:
~ Sculptor: Carol Brooks MacNeil died 80 years ago, June 22, 1944 ~
Posted by: | Comments~ Carol MacNeil died Eighty years ago today ~
Carol Brooks MacNeil died on June 22, 1944
in Jamacia (Queens) Hospital.
- Newspapers in New York and the Chicago Daily Times “all acknowledged her standing in the rarified realm of female sculptors.”
- Congregational services were held in the MacNeil home.
- Carol’s cremains were transported to the family plot in Massachusetts
- There in Woodlawn Cemetery she was interred beside their beloved daughter, Joie Katherine MacNeil.
Death of Carol “Carrie” Brooks MacNeil.
During her months of declining health, Carol was nursed at home by her family and Cecelia, a home nurse. As Carol’s condition worsened, the needs exceeded the home-care options of the day. She was admitted to the Jamaica (Queens) Hospital. Carol Brooks MacNeil died there on June 22, 1944. Newspapers in New York and the Chicago Daily Times “all acknowledged her standing in the rarefied realm of female sculptors.” Congregational services were held in the MacNeil home. Carol’s body was cremated and her remains transported to the family plot in Massachusetts at Woodlawn Cemetery to be interred with those of Joie.
“The 50 year Partnership
of
‘the Sculptors MacNeil’
had come to a close”
Hermon MacNeil Alone. Now Hermon must have felt an emptiness without Carol in his life, home, and studio. With Carol MacNeil’s death, their fifty-year partnership as the “Sculptors MacNeil” had ended. Their connection had begun five decades earlier in the “White City” of the Chicago World’s Fair, continued through their years of training in the city of Rome and in the city of Paris, matured in the kind-of-a-city of Queens, NY, and the not-quite-so-city of College Point.
For the next two years Hermon MacNeil continued to live alone in his College Point home. Next door was the stone Studio building where he and Carol had sculpted together through the years of their marriage. Now he was alone in their no-longer-shared home and studio.
Postcard of MacNeil studio in College Point. From the webmaster’s collection.
Cecelia Muench, RN, continued to care for him there. She had been his visiting nurse since 1941, when she helped him through a heart ailment. She also painted with Carrie and Hermon entering into the family of the sculptor her father had introduced her to at The Sun Vow on her 12 birthday.
A widow herself now, Cecelia accompanied Hermon to various gatherings of family, friends, and colleagues.
MEMORIES OF CAROL ~ Carrie
Carol Brooks MacNeil
Carol Brooks MacNeil
Related Images:
Happy 41st ‘Leap Day’ Birthday to Thomas Henry McNeil — Feb 29, 2024
Posted by: | Comments
Today marks the 164th Anniversary of the birth of my Grandfather Thomas A. McNeil born February 29, 1860.
As a Leapster, he was born 41 Actual Birthdays ago.
Leapsters
are born on
Leap Day,
February 29th
Tom McNeil was an older cousin of Hermon Atkins MacNeil
1884 Michigan Wolverines Football Team — Quarterback Tom Henry MacNeil is seated front center holding a ball.
Thomas H. McNeil (February 29, 1860 – October 1, 1932) was an American football player and lawyer. He was the first University of Michigan football player to be the starting quarterback in consecutive years. He led the Michigan football team to undefeated seasons in 1884 and 1885.
1885 Michigan Wolverines Football Team — Quarterback Tom Henry MacNeil is seated second from the left holding a ball. A rugby style ball was used, but no forward passes were allowed
He later became a lawyer practicing in Missouri.
McNeil was born near Burdette, Bates County, Missouri, in 1860. McNeil attended the University of Michigan where he graduated from the Literary Department in 1885 and the Law Department in 1886. While attending Michigan, he was the starting quarterback for the 1884 and 1885 Michigan Wolverines football teams. He was the first player to be Michigan’s starting quarterback in consecutive years. During his two years at quarterback, Michigan was undefeated. The 1884 team compiled a 2–0 record and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 36 to 10. The center on the 1884, snapping the ball to McNeil, was Henry Killilea, one the five men who founded baseball’s American League. McNeil led the 1885 team to a 3–0 record, with the team outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 82 to 0. During the time when McNeil was Michigan’s starting quarterback, the forward pass was not permitted and the ball (pictured at McNeil’s side in photograph to the right) was round, bearing a stronger resemblance to a rugby ball than a modern American football. After graduating from Michigan, McNeil began practicing law at Kansas City, Missouri. In January 1901, McNeil became a lawyer in the Claims Department of the Kansas City Railways Company, a position he held for more than 21 years. In later years, he was responsible for making accident reports to the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Public Service Commission of Missouri. At the time of his 21st anniversary with the company, the Railwayan noted:
“The life of Tom McNeil has been a success because he has possessed the three necessary qualifications — honest, industry and a vision for the future. His word is as sacred as his signed contract. He is always the first to arrive at his office in the morning and never fails to accomplish a full day’s work. … It is too bad that such men as Tom H. McNeil of such sterling worth and integrity cannot live forever.”
In addition to his legal career, McNeil was a member and leader in the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization and secret society founded in 1864. He served as the 30th Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias from 1899 to 1900. He died in 1932. [SOURCE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62575584/thomas-henry-mcneil ]
This closes our MacNeil Month Celebration for 2024
Thank you for visiting !
Related Images:
“THE GALLEY” for Fall/Winter Has Arrived: Hermon MacNeil’s Bio.
Posted by: | Comments2024
“The GALLEY” has arrived.
President Kenny McNeil on GALLEY #67 cover
MacNeil Clan Members world-wide are receiving the newest issue of The GALLEY in their mail.
Pages 20-29 contain a ten page Feature Article on the Hermon MacNeil Biography.
This is the 1st-half of my summary of Jim Haas’ biography of Hermon MacNeil. The 2nd-half will appear in the SPRING/SUMMER 2024 issue (#68).
Photos of his early life have been gathered.
Part Two of my summary will be
featured in the forthcoming Spring/Summer volume.
The GALLEY subscription is included in the $40 annual membership in the Clan MacNeil. (or in the auto-renewal membership)
Kinship in the MacNeil Family is not required for membership OR receiving
The GALLEY CLICK HERE
Related posts:
- Hermon MacNeil Featured in “The Galley” (9) “Clan MacNeil Connections and Hermon Atkins MacNeil” The current issue…
- Hermon Atkins MacNeil to be featured in “The Galley” (8.9) Hermon MacNeil was the first president of the Clan MacNeil…
- “THE GALLEY” will feature a Two Part summary of the Hermon MacNeil Biography.. (8.7) Happy New Year 2024 will welcome a…
- MacNeil’s Albany Monument ~ Winter Update (7.4) The Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Albany, NY Joel…
- Hermon MacNeil’s bronze bust of Evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1920) ~ “We Found It, Uncle Hermon!” (6.6) At age 78 Hermon MacNeil wrote an autobiographical sketch…
- February 27, 2021 – We”ll Unveil the Newly Discovered Portrait Bust of Hermon A. MacNeil by Jo Davidson on Hermon’s Birthday (6.6) ~~ MacNeil Month – February 27, 2021 ~~ FIFTH Story…
Related Images:
“THE GALLEY” will feature a Two Part summary of the Hermon MacNeil Biography..
Posted by: | Comments
Happy New Year
2024 will welcome a new issue of
THE GALLEY.
THE GALLEY, (issue #47, for Fall/Winter 2023) arrives in January 2024. It will feature a summary of the first half of the recent biography of Hermon Atkins MacNeil. This book, (researched, written, and published) by James Haas has been previewed several times here since its release in November 2022.
THE GALLEY is the official magazine of the Clan MacNeil Association of America edited by Vicki Sanders Corporon. As a teen she assisted her mother, Nellie McNeill Sanders, who was then Editor. Ever since, they continued the mother/daughter labors leading to Vicki following her mother as Editor.
Under Vicki’s watch THE GALLEY has grown into a bound full-color volume published semi-annually. It is mailed world-wide to all members of the Association as a privilege of membership.
MEMBERSHIP: You may join the Clan MacNeil Association (CLICK HERE) with or without kinship. You will enjoy receiving and reading THE GALLEY.
GALLEY of Spring/ Summer 2014
My upcoming articles are the fourth and fifth that I have written for THE GALLEY. 1, 2, 3. Part 2 will condense the second half of Haas’ book and be featured in the Spring/Summer issue of THE GALLEY.
I enjoy writing for THE GALLEY and working with Vicki Corporon. Many factors contribute to that pleasure:
- Our travel through Scotland and Isle of Barra in 2014 has generated tremendous knowledge, imagery, and appreciation for my Scottish heritage (MacNeil and McKay).
My 14 years as Webmaster of this website has allowed me to produce nearly 300 postings. My reading, research, photography, and travel have become my retirement career.
- My collaboration with James E. Haas through these years AND his continued research and publication of the Hermon MacNeil Biography have produced parallel research heightening public interest and awareness of Hermon Atkins MacNeil.
Roger Bow with his MacNeil Medallion at the MacNeil Flushing Memorial NYC (8-23-2020)
- I’ve spent the last decade traveling and photographing monuments, statues, and geography associated with MacNeil’s life and accumulated a database of resources for my writing.
- Through the website, I have met so many MacNeil descendants and enthusiasts (I call them my “Friends of https://HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com)
- My minting of the MacNeil Medallion commemorative in 2016 has increased knowledge and enthusiasm for Hermon Atkins MacNeil, the Standing Liberty Quarter.
-
2016 MacNeil Medallion marking the 150th Anniversary the birth of Hermon A. MacNeil. Commissioned by our webmaster, these numbered medals are available on eBay.
2016 MacNeil Medallion marking the 15th Anniversary of his birth. Available on eBay.
Articles in THE GALLEY by the Webmaster. ___
- Daniel Neil Leininger, “Clan MacNeil Connections and Hermon Atkins MacNeil.” THE GALLEY, SPRING/SUMMER 2014; Vol.VI, No. 48, Pages 1, 15-21.
- Daniel Neil Leininger, “100 Years Ago in New York City, Relatives United to Form the Clan MacNeil Association of America.” THE GALLEY, SPRING/SUMMER 2021; Vol.VI, No. 62, Pages 14-20.
- Daniel Neil Leininger, “Kisimul Castle: Centennial Stories”. THE GALLEY, FALL/WINTER 2021; Vol.VI, No. 63, Pages 12-22.
Related posts:
- Hermon MacNeil Featured in “The Galley” (8.8) “Clan MacNeil Connections and Hermon Atkins MacNeil” The current issue…
- Hermon Atkins MacNeil to be featured in “The Galley” (8.7) Hermon MacNeil was the first president of the Clan MacNeil…
- Hermon Atkins MacNeil: BIOGRAPHY Published !!! (8) Author and historian, James E. Haas has completed “Hermon Atkins…
- 2021 ~~ “MacNeil Clan of America” ~~ 100th Year ~~ “GALLEY” Celebrates (Issue Spring/Summer 2021) (7.1) Chartered in 1921 by Robert Lister MacNeil, Barra XLV, with…
- Hermon MacNeil Led “MacNeil Clan of America” 1928 (6.7) For more of Clan MacNeil Association of America and CELTIC…
- Hermon MacNeil’s bronze bust of Evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1920) ~ “We Found It, Uncle Hermon!” (5.6) At age 78 Hermon MacNeil wrote an autobiographical sketch…
Related Images:
Christmas and the 128th “MacNeil Anniversary”
Posted by: | CommentsChristmas Eve 2024 marks the 128th Anniversary of the Wedding of the “Sculptors MacNeil.”
On
Christmas Eve 1895, Hermon Atkins MacNeil and Carol Louise Brooks were joined in marriage in Chicago.
WE have told their wedding story here dozens of times.
Click this LINK TO READ those many postings.
- See their Marriage License from Christmas Eve,
- Read their Reception Invitation from Christmas Day,
- See WHERE the reception was Held,
- See how the County Clerk wrote “Carol” as bride:
- But Pastor Williams wrote “Carrie” on the license, (He knew her nickname !)
- Read how the “News” was published in so many papers.
ITS ALL HERE on THE CHRISTMAS POSTS
at HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com/
and have yourself
a Merry, Happy, Bless-ed Christmas season
Related Images:
MacNeil Bust was ONLY Shown Publicly ONCE !
Posted by: | Comments~ MacNeil Bust Exhibited in 1984 ~
Months after we unveiled the Hermon MacNeil bust in 2021,
I received word that this unique piece
was exhibited
ONLY ONCE in its
75 year history.
In 1945 Jo Davidson modeled this bust of his teacher and had it cast in bronze. It remains a UNIQUE piece ~~ meaning “one and only,
one of a kind
NO OTHER Castings
Were ever made”
This “sui generis” likeness of
Hermon Atkins MacNeil
was purchased in 2021 from the Estate of Jo Davidson through Joel Rosenkranz of Conner~Rosenkranz, of New York City.
On Fri, Jun 4, 2021, Joel sent the following:
Hi Dan –
I hope you have been well. I recently was looking through a key reference in American sculpture and came across the entry for the Davidson MacNeil which the Davidson Estate loaned to the Newark Museum many years ago for a survey exhibition on bronzes. I thought you would like to have this reference for your files.
Best,
Joel
I replied as follows:
Joel,
We are well and entering into life and travel in more usual ways.
Thank you for this document scan. I appreciate more history of this MacNeil bust. I will print it out and will study it over the weekend.
It seems ironic that this little known portrait bust was used to illustrate a bio page of Jo Davidson. There are 100s of other candidates that could illustrate Jo’s life and work but his first teacher becomes the “show & tell” model for Jo Davidson’s work and style of portraits.
I am enjoying having “Hermon” in our living room on a regular basis. I showed him to friends and posted this “icon” on my website for the world to SEE.
Greatly appreciate your continued support of my MacNeil obsession. Also, expanding my knowledge of the Davidson—MacNeil interface raises my understanding to exponential levels. >>>
“Your love and work with Beaux Arts and your “calling” with Janis to represent the Davidson Estate form a strong testimony to the love, passion, and talent of so many of these sculptors who are easily forgotten in the “modern “ era of abstractions offered as art. (Forgive my bias to realism).”
Related posts:
- The Portrait “BUST” of HERMON A. MacNEIL ~ by Jo Davidson ~ Unveiled for MacNeil Month 2021 ~#5 (10.1) AT LAST, the UNVEILING of the 75-YEAR-OLD PORTRAIT BUST OF…
- New Year Discovery: Another Bust by H. A. MacNeil (7.6) As we begin the New Year of 2021, we have…
- MacNeil Bust of Lincoln Stored in Vault (7.5) Hermon Atkins MacNeil would probably be amused to know that…
- Hermon MacNeil’s bust of “Lawyer Lincoln” Returns for its second century on the Illinois Circuit (7.2) Hermon MacNeil’s bronze bust of self-educated Illinois Lawyer Abe Lincoln…
- MacNeil’s Bust of John Stewart Kennedy ~ 100 Years Ago ~ THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY (7.1) A BRIEF NOTE from the Webmaster: “We did not discover…
- Hermon MacNeil’s bronze bust of Evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1920) ~ “We Found It, Uncle Hermon!” (6.8)
Related Images:
MacNeil’s Standing Liberty
J. H. Cline (19, Author/Expert ~ Standing Liberty Quarter
The American Numismatic Association met in Boston in 2010.
A private Dinner with
Jay H. Cline
would be the best dream for any SLQ collector.
Well, that dream became a real blessing for my nephew, Donald S. Becker of Bangor, Maine, a Project Engineer there with Haley Ward, Inc. Don remembers that event this way:
Don Becker, PE, Project Engineer with Haley Ward in Bangor, ME
“It was the American Numismatic Association meeting in Boston for the first time since 1982. Jay told me I should come as it was the best coin show event there is. He was always willing to visit by email and talk about coins and Hermon MacNeil. … “
“I had already contacted him to let him know how much I enjoyed the chapter [on Hermon] in the book and he wanted to discuss anything I knew about Hermon and anything about artistic talent in the Leininger, McNeil family.”
By email Don had found out that Jay Cline would be there. So, Don offered to buy Jay dinner if “he meet me to sign my book.” Don remembered that evening:
“We had dinner at Abe & Louie’s on 793 Boylston Street…. The restaurant is still there … and is a very nice venue.”
Front Door of Abe & Louie’s where Jay Cline and Don met.
Dining Room at Abe & Louie’s Restaurant, Boston, Mass.
I used to receive Cline’s price list on SLQ quarters which was his specialty.
It was a enjoyable dinner and…
he signed my copy of his book.
Jay Cline signed: “To Donald. Best Wishes. J. H. Cline. A.N.A. Boston. 8/13/10 ~~ THANKS FOR DINNER IT WAS GREAT !”
It was something I thought would be neat to do.
The national coin show was very large and dramatic.
Don continued his comments:
Don Becker Collected his first Standing Liberty Quarter in his teens, like Jay Cline did.
“Abe & Louie’s is located near the Hynes Convention Center, on Boylston Street, in Boston.The original founders retired when it was still part of the Backbay Restaurant Group.Yet the restaurant is still there. … It is a very nice restaurant.
[Owned now by Tavistock Restaurant Collection]
On April 15, 2013 the second blast site of the Boston Marathon Bombing was just a few buildings away.”
Boston’s Commonwealth Street ~ Yellow Circle marks Abe & Louie’s ~ Finish line of Marathon. Retrieved from https://abeandlouies.com/ on 6-9-2023 “I went as it was a national coin exhibition annual event somewhere close I could attend and included large US gold coin exhibition I wanted to see.”
~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~.
Bonus Images from Don:
Projects for Haley Ward in the Maine woods:
Don added two photos from his recent projects at Katahdin Woods and Water National Monument Visitors Contact Station projects.
Click link for MORE ~ Katahdin Woods and Waters Scenic Byway, National Park Service
A Trail created through Katahdin Woods
Water National Monument Visitors Contact Station project in T3 R7 WELS
Related posts:
- Standing Liberty Quarter – Jay H. Cline’s Life-long Love (11.2) J. H. Cline’s 45 year admiration of Hermon A. MacNeil’s…
- Jay H. Cline ~ Loved the Standing Liberty Quarter~ #1 of 4 Stories. (8.3) AUGUST 2023 Jay H. Cline devoted his entire life and…
Sources:
- https://abeandlouies.com/history/.
- Don Becker, PE, Project Engineer with Haley Ward in Bangor, ME
Related Images:
#1 ~ Jay H. Cline ~ Loved the Standing Liberty Quarter ~
Posted by: | CommentsAUGUST 2023
ANA Museum Photo / Robert B. Kelley
Jay H. Cline devoted his entire life and career to the Standing Liberty Quarter designed by Hermon MacNeil.
We will devote four postings in August 2023 to this dedicated numismatist.
Serious collectors and MacNeil enthusiasts will also enjoy Cline’s book.
Cline wrote the first definitive volume on MacNeil’s Standing Liberty Quarter. He told his own story as a young boy collecting his first of MacNeil’s quarter design.
He became a coin dealer. MacNeil’s work became his specialty and love. He researched, wrote, revised his book through Four Editions.
Stay TUNED Here at HAM for MORE
https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/
~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~. ~
Related posts:
- Standing Liberty Quarter – Jay H. Cline’s Life-long Love (26.7) J. H. Cline’s 45 year admiration of Hermon A. MacNeil’s…
- Hermon MacNeil’s “Standing Liberty Quarter” Praised As Favorite (16.8) Ninety-four years after its first minting, the MacNeil “Standing Liberty…
- Standing Liberty Quarter ~ MacNeil’s First Design (16.1) Hermon MacNeil’s first concept for the new Liberty Standing Quarter…
- MacNeil’s “Standing Liberty Quarter” and “I’ve Got a Secret” April 4, 1966 (15.8) 100 years after the birth of Hermon MacNeil and fifty…
- Edward A. Van Orden, “Collecting a Masterpiece; an Introduction to the Standing Liberty quarter” (15.5) ~~ SLQ ~~ Part One ~~ In September 2019 the…
- RE-APPEARANCE of Hermon MacNeil’s 0wn “Personal 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter” ~ Part 2 (14.3) The first Standing Liberty Quarter struck in 1916 was given…
Related Images:
INDEPENDENCE DAY ~~ 247 Years !!!
Posted by: | CommentsHermon MacNeil’s Commander-in-Chief
George Washington on Arch in NYC
General George Washington with Flags (U.S. and POW/MIA) ~ Washington Arch Greenwich, NYC (Photo courtesy of: Gibson Shell – 2011)
Hermon MacNeil was a Red-White-and-Blue Sculptor of American History.
click BELOW for MORE.
INDEPENDENCE DAY
~ ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ ~
Images of
Happy 4th of July
from Dan Leininger, Webmaster
The Stars and Stripes fly day and night at the home of Webmaster Dan Leininger in South Dakota. They are illuminated dusk to dawn by automatic lighting. (The tie, however, only waves on special occasions like July 4th.)
Related posts:
- INDEPENDENCE DAY Images ~ from Hermon A. MacNeil (7.4) Here are a few images of Independence from Hermon Atkins…
- MacNeil Month ~~ February 2016 ~~ 150 Years (6) The year 2016 marks the sesquicentennial of the birth of…
- Hermon MacNeil at the 1893 Columbian Exposition ~ ~ ~ THE CHICAGO YEARS ~ ~ (6) CHICAGO YEARS: Partners and Colleagues When Hermon MacNeil came home to the…
- More “Confederate Defenders” Protests; AND Ten Years Ago on this Website. (6) Sunday (July 12, 2020) saw continued protest at the Confederate…
- Hermon MacNeil and Hamlin Garland ~ ~ Connections Through the Years – Part 3 (6) Hermon MacNeil met Hamlin Garland in Chicago. Hermon MacNeil Hermon…
- MacNeil’s Bust of John Stewart Kennedy ~ 100 Years Ago ~ THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY (5.8) A BRIEF NOTE from the Webmaster: “We did not discover…
Related Images:
2023 – MacNeil & Fasces at the Supreme Court
Posted by: | CommentsThe Hermon MacNeil’s sculpture of the
East Pediment contains a hidden fasces.
~ The Fasces (located to the left of Confucius) rests on the shoulder of the man holding the boy. They represent the enforcement of the law and its passing on to coming generations.
A Fasces is a bound bundle of wooden rods, sometimes including an axe with its blade emerging. The fasces is an Italian symbol that had its origin in the Etruscan civilization and was passed on to ancient Rome, where it symbolized a magistrate’s power and jurisdiction. Wikipedia
~ Is There a
2nd Fasces?
~ The Female figure to the right is resting another bound form on her shoulder.
I had imagined it was a Sheaf of grain with leaves extended to the right. There is also a young girl (half visible to her right). Again the presence of the YOUTH suggests ‘the “Carrying on” of civilization through a internal knowledge of right and wrong’.
But being bound as a fasces,
it shares that same symbolism of
power and jurisdiction”
MacNeil described the right side or the Pediment as
tempering justice with mercy, allegorically treated”.
Visitors often miss the East Pediment of the Supreme Court Building because it is located at the rear of the building. This sculptural group was designed by Hermon A. MacNeil (1866–1947), an artist who studied under the masters of classical architecture and design. Cass Gilbert (1859–1934), the architect of the building, worked closely with MacNeil from 1932 to 1934 to create the thirteen symmetrically balanced allegorical figures. MacNeil submitted the following description of his work to the Supreme Court Building Commission:
“Law as an element of civilization was normally and naturally derived or inherited in this country from former civilizations. The ‘Eastern Pediment’ of the Supreme Court Building suggests therefore the treatment of such fundamental laws and precepts as are derived from the East. Moses, Confucius and Solon are chosen as representing three great civilizations
and form the central group of this Pediment.Flanking this central group—left—is the symbolical figure bearing the means of enforcing the law. On the right a group tempering justice with mercy, allegorically treated. The ‘Youth’ is brought into both these groups to suggest the “Carrying on” of civilization through the knowledge imbibed of right and wrong. The next two figures with shields; Left – The settlement of disputes between states through enlightened judgment. Right—Maritime and other large functions of the Supreme
Court in protection of the United States. The last figures: Left—Study and pondering of judgments. Right – A tribute to the fundamental and supreme character of this Court.Finale—The fable of the Tortoise and the Hare.”~
Fasces is a bound bundle of wooden rods, sometimes including an axe with its blade emerging. The fasces is an Italian symbol that had its origin in the Etruscan civilization and was passed on to ancient Rome, where it symbolized a magistrate’s power and jurisdiction. Wikipedia
Related posts:
- SUPREME COURT – Arrival at last! (16.7) “Slow but steady wins the race.” So said Aesop in…
- Moses, Confucius, and Solon at Supreme Court (16.5) The East Pediment of the Supreme Court of the United…
- Hermon MacNeil’s Supreme Court Sculptures: ~ ~ ~ Moses Revisited ~ ~ ~ (16.3) When the Supreme Court justices considered whether the Ten Commandments…
- Hermon MacNeil’s Supreme Court Sculptures: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The Tortoise & the Hare Revisited ~ ~ ~ (15.2) At each corner of the East Pediment of the…
- JOURNEY TO SUPREME COURT: ~ Finds plenty of Sculpture along the way in Washington D.C. … (14.4) I recently visited our nation’s Capitol with family. Sculpture and…
- Tortoise and Hare taken to Supreme Court (13.6) Hermon MacNeil has taken the Tortoise and the Hare to…
Related Images:
Will Rogers, Got His Parting Wish. —
Posted by: | CommentsJulie Tsirkin reports “Debt Limit Deal Reached!”
As Will Rogers’ statue watches behind her
Jo Davidson, sculptor, 1921
Thanks to Jo Davidson,
“Will Rogers” is keeping his eye on Congress!
Hermon MacNeil’s “studio boy” became renowned sculptor Jo Davidson of portrait busts.
Jo Davidson looks uo to his bronze “Will Rogers” in his Paris Studio before came to the U.S.
Perhaps you saw
Julie Tsirkin,
Capitol correspondent,
report from the U.S. Capitol.
“Debt Limit Deal Reached!”
Sometimes you just see the “Will’s” legs and the shoes. But Will wanted his eyes kept on Congress. So “The old head hunter” (Will’s nickname for Jo) made his head turned so he could look down at Congress members as they walked into the Chamber.
~ ~ 0 ~ ~
“There are men running governments
who shouldn’t be allowed
to play with matches.”
– Will Rogers
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I don’t make jokes.
I just watch the government
and report the facts.
Will Rogers
Will Rogers statue in US Capitol sculpted by Jo Davidson who began his career as a “studio boy” for Hermon MacNeil in College Point.
If you could ever see the marble base it would reveal three words:
Will Rogers
Oklahoma
The Washington, D.C. version of the statue was unveiled in 1939.[11] At that unveiling on June 6, Senator Joshua B. Lee said of Rogers’ effect on the United States during the Depression, “His humor was the safety valve for American Life.”[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers_(Davidson)
The House Connecting corridor is the common visual background for Capitol news briefings. The nameless, but familiar, dark bronze legs or full statue, represent Will’s last wish.
Last Wish of
Will Rogers
“I need to keep my eyes
on Congress.”
Jo Davidson’s statue watched on January 6, 2021 as raging Trump protestors turned into rioters (mixed with vigilantes) attacking the Capitol Building. [ breaking windows, carrying fire arms, vandalizing desks and offices, creating chaos and danger … ]
Senators were in the Constitutional process of certifying the votes of the Electoral College which authorizes the Inauguration of the 46th President on January 20, 2021.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
HUMOR from 100 years ago:
(Then tell me if Will Rogers still speaks to us in 2023.)
- “When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging.” – Will Rogers
- “The short memories of the American voters is what keeps our politicians in office.” – Will Rogers
- “If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of Congress?” – Will Rogers
- “If stupidity got us in this mess, how come it can’t get us out.” – Will Rogers
- “A fool and his money are soon elected.” – Will Rogers
- “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” – Will Rogers
- “The more you observe politics, the more you’ve got to admit that each party is worse than the other.” – Will Rogers
- “Ten men in our country could buy the whole world and ten million can’t buy enough to eat.” – Will Rogers
- “It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but you can lose it in a minute.” – Will Rogers
- “An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh.” – Will Rogers
- “The difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.” – Will Rogers
- “I am not a member of any organized political party — I am a Democrat.” – Will Rogers
- “Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re actually paying for.” – Will Rogers
- “There is no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.” – Will Rogers
- “All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that’s an alibi for my ignorance.” – Will Rogers
Related posts:
- DC Capitol Assault? by “Trump-it-eers!” ~~ What Would Will Rogers Say about January 6, 2021 ? (9.6) Jo Davidson was the “studio boy” for Hermon Atkins MacNeil…
- Will Rogers Bedroom ~ Ponca City ~ Post # 4 ~ (7.7) E.W. Marland the colorful oil baron of the 1910s and…
CREDITS:
- Photo: Will Rogers Statue https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/exhibitions/timeline/image/will-rogers-jo-davidson-1938
- Will Rogers Quotes: https://inspirationfeed.com/will-rogers-quotes/
- Will Rogers Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers_(Davidson)
Related Images:
As mentioned in the previous post [on May 5, 2023] Savage applied for a summer art program at the Fontainebleau School of Fine Arts in France.[9] She was accepted, BUT THEN rejected because she was BLACK.
Sculptor, Hermon Atkins MacNeil, wrote a letter of protest to W.E.B. Dubois, then Hermon invited Augusta to study with him. She later cited Hermon as one of her teachers.”
All of that took place in 1923,
THEN, 15 YEARS Later . . . the
1939 New York World’s Fair
premiered her work —
“The Harp”
OR
“Lift Every Voice and Sing”
HEAR THE HISTORY OF THE ANTHEM . . .
As you ~ ~
“Lift Up Your Voice, And Sing”
–
1939 WHITE WORKMAN landscape around the “HARP” as it towers above them. Source: The Body is Memory: An Exhibition of Black Women Artists. Retrieved on May 1, 2023 at [https://sites.smith.edu/afr111-f19/the-harp/ ]
SOURCES:
- “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lift_Every_Voice_and_Sing_(sculpture)#Replicas.
- Book page, “Sculpture by Augusta Savage, evocative of Negro music; commissioned by the New York World’s Fair,” from Harlem: Negro Metropolis, 1940
- Augusta Savage (American, 1892–1962), author
E. P. Dutton & Company, Inc., New York City, publisher
The Wolfsonian–FIU, Gift of Historical Design, New York City, XC2019.02.1.12- The Body is Memory: An Exhibition of Black Women Artists. Retrieved on May 1, 2023 at [https://sites.smith.edu/afr111-f19/the-harp/ ]
- Claude McKay, Harlem: Negro Metropolis, 1940. A narrative history of Harlem and its most notable African American residents. The book includes photographs of works by Black artist Augusta Savage in the early 20th century.
Related Images:
Hermon MacNeil Supported Black Sculptor: Augusta Savage: ~ 1923 ~~ Part #1
Posted by: | CommentsMacNeil wrote a letter in 1923 advocating for
Miss Augusta Savage
who had been denied a scholarship because of the
color of her skin.
Augusta Savage (left) with her portrait bust of James Weldon Johnson, another Black Harlem activist/leader and supporter of Augusta Savage. c. 1920s
HER BACKGROUND
“Savage arrived in New York (in 1921) with $4.60, found a job as an apartment caretaker, and enrolled at the Cooper Union School of Art [Ironically, this was 61 years after Abe Lincoln’s famous speech at Cooper Union against the expansion of slavery].
She completed the four-year course at Cooper Union in just three years.
During the mid-1920s when the Harlem Renaissance was at its peak, Savage lived and worked in a small studio apartment where she earned a reputation as a portrait sculptor, completing busts of prominent personalities such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, [James Weldon Johnson and other NAACP leaders].
Savage was one of the first artists who consistently dealt with black physiognomy.”
Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum; https://americanart.si.edu/artist/augusta-savage-4269
In 1923, she had submitted a scholarship application to attend the inaugural artistic summer school at Fontainebleau, near Paris, France. (where Alden MacNeil would later study)
W.E.B. DuBois, [prominent historian, sociologist, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist] wrote a letter of support for her entry.
Savage was awarded a full scholarship.
Unfortunately, the scholarship was withdrawn by the French selection committee on account of her color – reportedly, because white American students from Georgia would not share rooms with an African-American.[2]
The rejection was reported in a number of newspapers.[2] The incident got press coverage on both sides of the Atlantic. Since W. E. B. Du Bois had supported the application, Hermon A. MacNeil chose to write this letter.
MacNeil was the sole member of the selection committee to disagree with the withdrawal of the scholarship.
MacNeil began his career studying, traveling, and immersing himself in Native American culture. Hermon one time had shared a studio in Paris with African-American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner.
After writing his letter, MacNeil choose to invite Augusta Savage to study with him at the College Point studio. Savage accepted! Later in her life, she cited MacNeil as one of her influential teachers.
Early Life of Augusta Savage
“Augusta began making figures as a child, mostly small animals out of the natural red clay of her hometown.[2] Her father was a Methodist minister With over a dozen children. His theology strongly opposed his daughter’s early interest in art. “My father licked me four or five times a week,” Savage once recalled, “and almost whipped all the art out of me.”[5]” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta_Savage
She continued to work in the US, and eventually gathered sufficient funding to study in France at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière from 1929, exhibiting at the Salon d’Automne in 1930, and at the Salon de Printemps and the Paris Colonial Exposition in 1931.[2]
Throughout the 1930s, Savage sculpted portrait busts of African American leaders, including NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson, who wrote the lyrics of the anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” CLICK to hear NPRs 7 min lesson on this song.
When the 1939 New York World’s Fair commissioned Savage to make a sculpture she produced a monumental work called Lift Every Voice and Sing.A souvenir version of Savage’s 1939 sculpture The Harp, which was inspired by “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” 1939 World’s Fair Committee. [See #3 below]
World’s Fair officials changed the name creation to The Harp. “The strings of the harp are formed by the folds of choir robes worn by 12 African American singers,” Ikemoto explains. “Then, the soundboard of the harp is formed by the hand of God.” The singers, then, become instruments of God. Five million visitors saw The Harp and it became one of the Fair’s most photographed objects — you can see more photos of it here.
Sixteen feet high, made of painted plaster, Ikemoto says it was destroyed — smashed by clean-up bulldozers — at the end of the fair.
Now, only pictures and many miniature souvenirs remain!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
SEE MacNeil’s 100 year old letter
with my transcription and comments BELOW
Retrieved from digitalcommonwealth.org/ on 3/23/1923. See citation below.
William E. B. DuBois
70 31th Ave
New YorkMy Dear Mr. Burghardt:
Yours just received regarding Miss Savage. I have been entirely out of touch with the committee of which I am a member for several weeks as I have been more or less away and so this case of Miss Savage’s application I knew nothing about when it came up.
I am extremely sorry that a story of this kind should have gotten about as I know the gentleman of the committee are men of the broadest vision and are trying to do the very best possible. It may be that her work was not very high in quality. Whether that was the reason or conditions may be such for the traveling and living conditions that it would have been unpleasant for a colored person, I do not know.
Personally I have no greater joy than seeing the advancement of the colored race for I believe [in] that advancement will be the gradually era[c]ing of one of our very difficult problems here in the United States. I personally have friends of the colored blood whose friendship I prize as high as any of my associates. In the meantime please believe me.
Sincerely yours, H. A. MacNeil
Webmaster’s Comments:
MacNeil’s phrasing conveys the biases of white culture in phrases such as:
- “It would have been unpleasant for a colored person” and “
- I have friends of the colored blood”
However, MacNeil was the only one sculptor taking public action and making opportunity for Augusta Savage to groom her many talents and mastery of art.
Namely:
- He gave her one year of experience in his studio;
- Which was much more than the “summer” she sought at Fontainebleau.
- Later in her life, she claimed Hermon MacNeil as one of her teachers.
- MacNeil’s choices contrast those of the committee.
- His actions transcend the racial biases of the 1920s
- MacNeil’s actions speak well for his love of sculpture and teaching sculptors.
REFERENCE NOTES:
-
Letter from Hermon A. MacNeil to W. E. B. Du Bois
- Retrieved from digitalcommonwealth.org/ on 3/23/1923.
[ https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth-oai:9s162k540 ]
- NPR https://www.npr.org/2019/07/15/740459875/sculptor-augusta-savage-said-her-legacy-was-the-work-of-her-students
- “Till Victory Is Won: The Staying Power Of ‘Lift Every Voice And Sing'” By Claudette Lindsay-Habermann; Heard on Morning Edition;
- https://hermonatkinsmacneil.com/?s=Tanner
Related Images:
#6 ~~ A “Brooks-by-MacNeil” Portrait closes Brooks~MacNeil Month ~~ Feb. 27, 2023
Posted by: | Comments“HAPPY BIRTHDAY
UNCLE HERMON”
HE WAS BORN 157 YEARS AGO TODAY
FEBRUARY 27TH, 1866
Hermon Atkins MacNeil (American, 1866-1947) CAROL BROOKS MACNEIL, N.D. Bronzed plaster 14 1/2″ x 8″ x 7 1/2″ Signed: H. A. MACNEIL. Photo by JOEL ROSENKRANZ 1986 (#5430)
THIS UNDATED CLAY PORTRAIT BUST OF
“CARRIE” BY HERMON
“Brooks-by-MacNeil” Portrait
closes Brooks~MacNeil Month ~~ on Feb. 27, 2023
Thanks, Joel Rosenkranz
This photo was included in an email to Jim Haas, MacNeil biographer, and myself from Joel Rosenkranz.
Hi Jim & Dan:
The upcoming exhibition on A.F Brooks in Kenilworth prompted me to go through photos I took in 1986 when I first visited descendants and purchased a variety of work including this portrait of Carol Brooks by Hermon.
It is plaster with a colored bronze surface.
I sold it in 1987 and have no idea where it is now but at least there is this record.
Best, Joel
So on this the 157th Anniversary of Hermon MacNeil’s birth, this portrait seems an appropriate “Last Look” for our Brooks~MacNeil Month of 2023.
Sculpted in clay, finished with bronze patina, the piece radiates a lot of love and care. Bearing no date by Hermon clay-portrait Bust of Carol (Carrie) Brooks MacNeil
NO DATE? Made by her husband, Hermon MacNeil at an unknown date. (Webmaster suggests 1894 in the Summer of
WHAT Features date it?
- it appears to be a “young Carrie” Possibly, dating to her early days before marriage?
- clay, but finished lovingly in a bronze patina;
- but never cast in bronze, which is an expensive process.
- seems to come from a period of a young sculptor, with more talent and more love than cash.
- preserved in unknown hands for 80+ years
- photographed and purchased by Joel Rosenkranz in 1986
- then sold in 1987
- NOW IN A PRIVATE COLLECTION, SOME WHERE, but
- HERE on //HermonAtkinsMacNeil.com FOR ALL TO ENJOY
ALL Offered to you NOW as a celebration of Carol “CARRIE” Brooks MacNeil.
AS OUR FINALE TO THIS
“2023 MACNEIL-BROOKS MONTH”
On the 157th Anniversary of
“Uncle Hermon MacNeil’s birth
February 27th, 1866.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Appeal:
If you have any history or insight about this piece
by Hermon MacNeil, PLEASE COMMENT HERE
or email us at HAMacNeil@gmail.com
UPDATE:
In a later post I wrote the following regarding the White Rabbits reunion at Bass Lake, Indiana in 1894 and following:
Friendships and Romance. While creating the these buildings and sculptures, there evolved a unique community of White City artists. The collegiality extended through the years. Several friendships evolved into marriage. Both Garland and MacNeil found their life partners in Larado Taft”s assistants, The White Rabbits. A recurring community of Camp Life sprung up:
[1] “The spirit of playful camaraderie among the city’s artists was manifest in the first of several outings to Bass Lake, Indiana. For two weeks in August 1894 Potter experienced invigorating camp life with the sculptors Lorado Taft, Carrie Brooks, Hermon Atkins MacNeil, Lew Wall Moore, and Edward and Laura Swing Kemeys, And the painters Charles Francis Browne, Carl Heber, and Menthe Svenden. Between recreational activities and spirited antics, painters and sculptors alike engaged in plein-air oil sketching of the scenery. Evenings were given over to art lectures illustrated by the stereopticon projected on a make shift screen consisting of a sheet stretched between trees. Such a good time was had that the artist arranged another merry outing for September. There after the excursions became annual events.”
[1] Julie Aronson, Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women, Cincinnati Art Museum: Ohio University Press; Athens, Ohio. 2008, p. 31.
Posted previously HERE
Related posts:
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- February 27, 2021 – We”ll Unveil the Newly Discovered Portrait Bust of Hermon A. MacNeil by Jo Davidson on Hermon’s Birthday (6) ~~ MacNeil Month – February 27, 2021 ~~ FIFTH Story…
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Related Images:
#5 ~ A ‘Supreme Secret’ from the MacNeil Family ~ The “Tortoise and Hare” ~ Feb. 2023
Posted by: | Comments#1. A “Tortoise and Hare” are hiding at the Supreme Court
That’s no FABLE, Aesop!
They’ve been there for 91 years. Hiding on back of the building.
Can you see them there?
The ‘Hare’ of Aesop’s fable as to ‘Slow but Steady’ Justice.
The ‘Tortoise’ of Aesop’s fable as MacNeil’s Finale of Justice.
Maybe this
HELPS?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Plus #2 the
‘Supreme Secret’
from the Family …
MacNeil.
Guess, WHO SCULPTED the Tortoise and the Hare on the East Pediment?”
NOW, just this week,
Carolyn Saul (‘Carrie’ MacNeil’s grand niece)
shared a MacNeil family story, 3 generations old.
“I was always told that
Hermon let one of his sons
design the tortoise and the hare.
Have you heard that?
[Yes, I heard that “tender tidbit” years ago
but it never became a story on this site.]
WHICH son, Claude or Alden? This bit of MacNeil Lore does not say. Claude worked in aviation. Alden was an architect, who formally studied art at Fountainbleu.
The brothers are described in the March 1928 Obituary of their younger sister Joie Katherine MacNeil as follows:
She leaves behind her parents, two brothers, Alden a recent graduate of Cornell University and now a student in the famous Fountainbleu art school, and Claude, an aviator and mechanical engineer on the staff of the Sikorsky Aircraft Manufacturing Company at College Point. Source: The Daily Star, Queens Borough, Tuesday Evening, March 20, 1928. Page 4, column 7.
Alden seems the more probable
of Hermon’s sons to assist in the 1932
rendering of the East Pediment pair
of the Tortoise and Hare.
NOW, Carolyn’s comment validates that idea from
MacNeil-family-lore
through three generations.
~ ~ ~ ~
The MacNeil’s SUPREME COURT statues
“JUSTICE THE GUARDIAN OF LIBERTY”
Are the most viewed pages on this website.
Here’s just two days of page views to sample from MacNeil Month:
| Page Titles viewed on Feb. 10, 2023 |
Views | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hermon MacNeil’s Supreme Court Sculptures: ~ ~ ~ Moses Revisited ~ ~ ~ | 6 | |
| 2. Home page / Archives | 5 | |
| 3. Moses, Confucius, and Solon at Supreme Court
TOTALS: |
2
13 |
| Page Titles viewed on Feb. 16, 2023 | Views | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Home page / Archives | 4 | |
| 2. Tortoise and Hare taken to Supreme Court | 3 | |
| 3. Moses, Confucius, and Solon at Supreme Court | 1 | |
| 4. NSS_Presidents1929~HAM-JEF-AAW-DCF-HA | 1 | |
| 5. Hermon MacNeil’s Supreme Court Sculptures: ~ ~ ~ Moses Revisited ~ ~ ~ | 1 | |
| Total views of posts on your blog | 10 |
